Don’t Be Afraid ~ Well Maybe a Little …
They're creepy and they're kooky | mysterious and spooky | they're altogether ooky … October’s Wordplay Wednesday!
Well yeah, and “Wednesday”
in The Addams Family of
course!
Grabbing a script page from one of the funnest*
spooky shows ever to spin a web over your television, we’re exploring the weird
and wacky words of Halloween this month. (*I know it isn’t a word. It should
be.)
Let’s jump right in the witch’s cauldron with
a word we’re all familiar with, but are we really?
 |
| 19th Century goblin ~ Unknown Artist |
GOBLIN (gäbʹlin) n. (folklore)
– an evil or mischievous spirit often represented in pictures as humanlike and
ugly or misshapen in form. [WW / SPOOKY #184]
A common Halloween word, have you
ever stopped to ask exactly what a goblin
is? It hit me as I perused the news
and stumbled on a headline obviously meant to capitalize on the time of year
and grab our attention. It got mine …
If you’re into planets and the solar system,
this is an article for you! “… there is a growing suspicion that our solar
system’s distant reaches conceal a large, ninth planet that we have not yet
seen. New findings about a small ice world far beyond Pluto buttress this idea.…
which they have nicknamed the Goblin.”
It’s sad that a world we have only just
(almost) discovered is already saddled with such an onerous moniker, but it
gives us the first “spooky” word of Wordplay
Wednesday’s Halloween
month to play with!
 |
| Gollum clip Lord of the Rings |
Now, the dictionary paints the creepy sprites
in a revolting picture; and Wikipedia even makes the little guys out as “monstrous.”
But those words are generalized and since they’ve been around for centuries, goblins’
physical descriptions are varied. Let your imagination run wild in picturing
them.
Perhaps think Gollum, in Lord of the Rings.
In movie descriptions, he’s called a “hobbit,” but seriously, compare him to
the 19th century image above …
So goblins are a perfect Halloween costume, because guys
always have a tough time coming up with a costume that’s masculine, skimpy, and
doesn’t involve a gun (since even fake ones can get you into trouble with the
real law). Ok, nevermind that a goblin is supposed to be small and
disgusting … a raggedy loincloth doesn’t cost much, so you’re saving a few
dollars!
 |
| 2018 Galveston firefighter |
No? Fine, be a hunky, half-dressed calendar firefighter
… again. I was just trying to help, guys. And by the way, the party’s at my
place. (Just kidding!)
Word Challenge: GOBLIN. According to Wiki, “They
are ascribed various and conflicting abilities, temperaments and appearances
depending on the story and country of origin.” So there you have it! Free rein
to use your imagination, as you fit goblin into your week of monstrous
writings.
Learning knows no prejudices or boundaries, and it isn’t fattening!
Expanding your mind is a no-cost, simple joy. Do you feel that way too? What’s
your inspiration? Share your creative genius and Wordplay
Wednesday comments below.
Write first for yourself … only then can you write for others. (L.Rochelle)
LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by
trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of
three) in her Blast from Your Past
series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon, … The Psychedelic Seventies!
E-N-Dzzzzzzzz
